Tag: Smart Phones

Yellow page advertising has been on the decline for some time now and with the continued adoption of smart phones more and more folks are using the Internet to find local businesses.

At home, yellow page books go from my front door or driveway directly into my recycle bin. As I talk with friends and business owners, many tell me they cannot remember the last time they used a yellow pages book to find a local business.

So the question of how effective yellow page advertising is very relevant with the continued growth of smart phone users.

Do you spend money on yellow page advertising? If so, how much? And most importantly, how well is your yellow page advertising working? Share your opinions below>>>

When it comes to marketing online or offline phone numbers may still beat out email addresses for customer response. While I have not conducted a long-term test comparing the two, it appears voice calls are still the preferred method of communication with several small tests I’ve run and compared.

In my own testing with one site, the use of the displayed phone numbers is used equally when compared to in-bound phone calls vs. contact forms.

In another test conducted by a friend of mine involving an rental property, the use of a phone number in his ad generated 10-20 phone calls per day over a one week period. In a subsequent test, he removed the phone number and subsituted it for an email address. He never received a single inquiry from the ad using only an email address.

Email has become unreliable due to spam and other delivery issues whereas a phone number is a more reliable method of communication.

With more and more of the population utilizing cell phones as a primary means of communication and the use of smart phones increasing, it ony makes sense that it has now become extremely easy and convenient to place a voice call. Some sites have click to talk services with a call back feature that will dial your number back if the person you are trying to reach is not available.

Have you run any tests comparing response rates utilizing a phone number vs. a contact form or email address for marketing purposes? Share your tests or comparisons with our visitors.